Remembering You
by RadiantBeam
Summary: Dale left the Rescue Rangers, but Gadget can't stop thinking of him... oneshot songfic, mild DG


**Remembering You**

He was gone. After everything, after all the missions and the laughs and the tears, Dale was gone. He had left the Rangers only two weeks ago, and for Gadget it ached as fiercely as if he had left yesterday. He had given no explanation, only vaguely saying that he had to be somewhere else, and despite the pleading and tears of his friends, he had remained unmoved, if not shaken.

_I found you in the most unlikely way_

_But really it was you who found me_

_And I found myself in the gifts that you gave_

_You gave me so much and I_

_I wish you could stay_

_But I'll, I'll wait for the day_

Gadget just couldn't get used to it; the silence. With Dale around, it had never been quiet; whether he was watching TV or masterfully trouncing her at video games in her spare time, the tree house had always been full of his laughter. But now…

The silence was so damn constricting. She felt as though her lungs would collapse, and she knew Chip and Monty felt the same way, as did Zipper. But Dale would come back… she knew he would. He had to! Without him, they weren't… complete. They weren't the Rescue Rangers. Dale _would _come back, Gadget convinced herself. He _had_ to.

_And I'll watch as the cold winter melts into spring_

_And I'll be remembering you_

_Oh and I'll smell the flowers and hear the birds sing_

_And I'll be remembering you, I'll be remembering you_

Knowing she should probably build something, yet not wanting to, Gadget wandered from her workshop into the kitchen. The tree house was even quieter then usual, even with Dale gone. Monty and Zipper were out visiting Charlie, and Chip was just… out. Probably meeting some girl, Gadget mused. Usually, she would have been thrilled by the thought of one of her friends meeting someone. Now… well, she was occupied.

_From the first moment when I heard your name_

_Something in my heart came alive_

_You showed me love that no words can explain_

_A love with the power to_

_Open the door_

_To a world I was made for_

Dale's absence shouldn't be bothering her this much! It was constantly in the back of her mind, buried deep in her subconscious, keeping her awake at night and dimming her usual spark for mechanics. _What was wrong with her_! She was acting like a lovesick teenager! No, worse, she was acting like those people she had seen in the movies, left behind by someone they loved and constantly mooning over them!

"Golly, Dale, get out of my head!"

Silence greeted her voice, and Gadget scowled.

_And I'll watch as the cold winter melts into spring_

_And I'll be remembering you_

_Oh and I'll smell the flowers and hear the birds sing_

_And I'll be remembering_

Gadget shook her head violently, tangling her shaggy blonde hair behind her shoulders and making her ears flop, but she didn't care. She needed something to get her mind off of Dale! She couldn't stop thinking of him!

Her eyes fell on the game station set in front of the TV. She had made it for Dale on her first Christmas as a Ranger. How long had she labored over it? Long enough, she mused, to keep Dale occupied for hours at a time. After a brief hesitation, she made her way softly over to it. She flicked the switch and sat down, grabbing one of the controllers. Maybe, without Dale as competition, she could actually beat the stupid game.

_The dark night, the hard fight_

_The long climb up the hill knowing the cost_

_The brave death, the last breath_

_The silence whispering all hope was lost_

_The thunder, the wonder_

_A power that brings the dead back to life_

As the bright lights flashed over the screen, Gadget focused on the game, but even just doing that reminded her of Dale, but not in the infuriating way as before. It was actually kind of… peaceful. She had never played video games with Chip or Monty; just as she reserved special things for them, she had reserved video game playing/getting her butt kicked for Dale. The calm and warmth of familiarity of the moment washed over her, and in that moment, although he wasn't there, Gadget felt so close to Dale that it was almost as if he were home.

_I wish you could stay_

_But I'll wait for the day_

_And though you've gone away_

_You come back and_

Gadget smiled. She had always found the games hard, as in "I-want-to-chuck-this-damn-thing-out-the-window" hard, but Dale had loved it, and had loved playing with her, one time even letting her beat him so she got down the basics of the game. They had spent many a day with Dale crouched over her, playing less and teaching her more, guiding her hands and showing her what each button could do: X for jump, square for punch, X and square for dive, and so on. She had kind of looked forward to it, actually.

_And I'll watch as the cold winter melts into spring_

_And I'll be remembering you_

_Oh and I'll smell the flowers and hear the birds sing_

_And I'll be remembering you_

Gadget closed her eyes briefly, costing her character precious life points but not caring. And in that instant of warmth and comfort, in that moment where she played the game alone without Dale and actually doing fairly well, she knew that he would come back. She couldn't explain it; she just _knew_. And until that day he came back, she would cherish their memories and remember him, and it wouldn't hurt so much. She smiled.

"Golly. I guess that's all I need to do. If I remember, Dale will still be here. And when he comes back, we'll be able to do it all over again."

She nodded to herself, then leaned forward, focusing on the game, her fingers moving rapidly over the buttons. She smiled triumphantly as she destroyed a monster, and whirled her character to face another. Yes, when Dale came back, she had many things to tell him. And after that, she would lead him to the game station; just to see if he could still kick her butt.

_And I'll watch as the sun fills a sky that was dark_

_And I'll be remembering you_

_And I'll think of the way that you fill up my heart_

_I'll be remembering you_

**The End**

I just wrote this on Christmas after I had gotten the Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers boxed set, so I was on a Dale/Gadget buzz... and I wrote this. I'm more Dale/Gadget then Chip/Gadget truthfully, but this came out as more of a close friendship thing...


End file.
